CHAZ wrote:That was my last play in Spring of 1984...an odd and somewhat quieter DNP
production compared to the other ones you have mentioned here...

"Charles Forster's very successful portrayal of Doctor Dorn seemed to come naturally. Here was a confident man of the world. It was not difficult to believe that he had been attractive to women in the past and no less difficult to believe that Polena could still not get him out of her mind." The Blue Lent Term 1984

I think it was your character who habitually hummed a few bars of Tchaikovsky(?) - which is a fragment of music that still comes back to haunt me (if only I knew exactly what it was).

CHAZ wrote:Another great memory as I was in this one too. If I remember rightly it was Giles Wilson who directed it and I was a prison guard. I think Giles directed it as the school play that year was Play Extinct which was a semi-pro affair...Great memory and thanks

Giles... Giles... where to begin with the Giles stories? I remember so well during Tamburlaine the Great spending most of the play in the dressing room (as the Soldan of Egypt I wasn't on stage much, but I did have quite a pretty daughter). Giles was playing Chosroes who gets horribly tortured by degrees (since this was a partly modern dress production it was Tamburlaine in camo fatigues with metal bedframes and electrodes). In between his harrowing and powerful torture scenes Giles would flounce into the dressing room, exclaiming to the world at large (i.e. me and my book) "Blood! I need more blood!Somebody give me blood!" and proceed to dab on extra fake blood as though it were Chanel No5 about to pass its sell-by date. Then he'd flounce out and prepare to give another strong and anguished performance. What a character!

Play Extinct - didn't have anything to do with it myself. Really odd play, though.

CHAZ wrote:Paul Engleheart had a role here if I remember.

He played the part Colin Firth played in the West End and on film, and was great: the part of the young leftie intellectual rebel could have been written for him - it was Grant Bardsley who did the lead (the Rupert Everett part). Whatever happened to Grant? He had some TV rÃ´les and voiced a Disney, but never hit the big time as I, at least, had expected. While Jason Flemyng (cheekiest squit ever) goes on to international fame and fortune...

Was it Ian Halden who played the sadistic prefect (casting against type) and had such glee in producing the offstage caning sound effects?

That's a production in which I wish I'd had a better part, but I suppose I had more than my fair share of showy rÃ´les so I mustn't complain.

Happy St. Helier Day everyone (the few minutes that are left)! And frankly, if we don't get some productive collaboration out the Maire adjoint of Rennes after the top-notch hospitality, we'd better open up international relations with Timbuktu instead. All went well with our distinguished guests and the usual suspects among the politicians - but not so well that I wasn't in a fit state to plug my new book about St Helier this morning on the radio. The launch went well and there's a good buzz about it.

Well, I hope that St Helier does a better job than St Swithin. I'm sure you know the legend; if it rains on st Swithin's Day (15 July) it will rain for 40 days and vice versa. Well yesterday was dry, but this evening we have had heavy rain and thunder and lightning - unfortunate really because we are in process of building a workshop which currently has walls and windows but no doors or roof, and our next door neighbours have just put up two marquees in their garden ready for a children's disco on Saturday - oh joy!!

"Giles... Giles... where to begin with the Giles stories? I remember so well during Tamburlaine the Great spending most of the play in the dressing room (as the Soldan of Egypt I wasn't on stage much, but I did have quite a pretty daughter). Giles was playing Chosroes who gets horribly tortured by degrees (since this was a partly modern dress production it was Tamburlaine in camo fatigues with metal bedframes and electrodes). In between his harrowing and powerful torture scenes Giles would flounce into the dressing room, exclaiming to the world at large (i.e. me and my book) "Blood! I need more blood!Somebody give me blood!" and proceed to dab on extra fake blood as though it were Chanel No5 about to pass its sell-by date. Then he'd flounce out and prepare to give another strong and anguished performance. What a character!"

This was another DNP blockbuster and I had forgotten you were the Soldan of Egypt...it was agreat play and yes it was set in modern times. DNP had managed to find all those army fatigues. But do you remember Xenobia Spicer lying "dying" and she was attached to a cardiograph...a REAL one! DNP had extraordinary skill in getting the real equipment necessary.
Amazing.

Only play I ever did where there wasn't a curtain call at the end and Sean Davis was left to lie on the projected stage in blood and over a map of the world....Ah ...those theatre days...

I played an orphan or something similar in tamberlaine and broke my collarbone just before the first night - so I was given a fake blood stained sling and played in that.

In fact craig it might have been tackling you that broke my shoulder I can't quite remember - I just know it involved tackling someone who had just taken a tap penalty and was charging shoulder first at me

CHAZ wrote:
Among other highlights, I took part in the controversial student-led production of "Another Country" in the Court Room (the part I played, one of the prefects, was one of the characters cut out of the film version). The overt critique of the boarding school system was considered so daring at the time that we had to have a dress rehearsal vetted personally by Derek Baker (the Headmaster's veto threatening to shut down the production at a moment's notice). As it was, he said he didn't like the play or agree with it, but he let us go ahead.

Paul Engleheart had a role here if I remember.

Did Paul have sisters at Hertford? Natalie was a very gifted linguist in my year, and Robin, IIRC, a very gifted sportswoman in the year below. I believe there was also a younger sister (?Kate?).

Does anyone remember the MASSIVE pageant we did in the science quad ? Must have been 62 or 63. Just about the whole school was involved, though I can't remember what it was about. I'd love to see some photographs of it.

J.R. wrote:Does anyone remember the MASSIVE pageant we did in the science quad ? Must have been 62 or 63. Just about the whole school was involved, though I can't remember what it was about. I'd love to see some photographs of it.

mvgrogan wrote:loved Harvey & the Wallbangers and "Every Woman is a Science"

EWIAS was the first school production (funky dunky strikes again!) which featured the girls..

I have some photos of Every Woman is a Science.....

cstegerlewis wrote:
I remember Trav, one and only DNP Opera I did,

stand out for me will always be Jungle Book

Most other memories obliterated by Cast parties - Maria, seem to remember you were fond of a few sherbets at those evernts as well

...and photos of Jungle Book.

I remember Trav, played a school boy dressed in a sailors uniform pretending to be Mr Porteous' kid!

What else.... did loads as stage crew / stage manager

Play Extinct - which i think was the first school production i saw, didn't it go to the Young Vic?

Bugsy Malone - which is when I stopped acting and along with Craig became a 'production assistant' which meant doing all the organising and drinking coffee in funky's office

A Winters Tale - which I stage managed and then took on a tour to Germany...many many sherbets

The Sea - a huge set designed by the art dept and made of plaster of paris, the get out for that was the worse thing i've ever done i think

Bodywork - written by Richard Stilgoe. Seem to remember lots of issues with it with a name of stage managers resigning, the cast party was like sodom and gommorah. Think the show went to the Edinburgh Festival

and.....Jungle Book, Importance of Being Ernest, Arsenic and Old Lace, Midsummer Nights Dream, Happiest days of your life....

We also took Loves Labours Lost to Germany.... I remember watching handball and drinking badly made tea (think teabag in mug of hot tap water + microwave )! If I remember correctly, we returned to UK on the Herald of Free Enterprise, the day before it sank!!

Bodywork - ah, Bodywork.... yes, it was a joint production with NYMT. A few of us went with it to the Exeter Festival and then the Edinburgh Festival where the cast included Jonny Lee Miller as the virus and Jude Law as a hippy hair.... it was written by Richard Stilgoe and the original plan was for it to be developed for the West End. This didn't happen but I heard there was a recording made of the songs, featuring professionals.... I played the appendix and apparently Lonnie Donegan played me on the record The CH version also included Simon (now James) D'Arcy as a gene; I just saw him in a Miss Marple episode.

It also led to my involvement in a couple of other NYMT shows at the Edinburgh Festival, although (thankfully for many) not on stage. I was their wardrobe mistress for one season and Front of House Manager for two.

The Sea & Midsummer Night's Dream ring bells, too but I don't think I was in them... probably backstage/production Assistant. I did feature in Castles in the Air (DNP) - as Eliza Dolittle - one of the few seniors in a junior production. Somewhere I have lots of programmes & photos (...inc Si D'Arcy as Gollum!). I'll do some digging and get back to you....

cstegerlewis wrote:Forgot about going to Germany, plenty of alcohol consumed - my first introduction to stein's of lager and pommes frites mit mayonnaise

We allegedly spent more in the bar there than they normally took in several months and to thank us bought out a barrel of weissbier. I also remember one of the smokers finding out that the cigarette machine accepted english 5p's as marks and so people loaded up on packets of fags for 20p

mvgrogan wrote:
We also took Loves Labours Lost to Germany.... I remember watching handball and drinking badly made tea (think teabag in mug of hot tap water + microwave )! If I remember correctly, we returned to UK on the Herald of Free Enterprise, the day before it sank!!

I remember the Herald of Free Enterprise thing though I didn't go on that tour. My wife ended up working with the son of the captain of the Herald. Apparently at a team building everyone had to say something about themselves and he got up and said "My names XXXX and my dad killed 193 people..."

mvgrogan wrote:
Bodywork - ah, Bodywork.... yes, it was a joint production with NYMT. A few of us went with it to the Exeter Festival and then the Edinburgh Festival where the cast included Jonny Lee Miller as the virus and Jude Law as a hippy hair.... it was written by Richard Stilgoe and the original plan was for it to be developed for the West End. This didn't happen but I heard there was a recording made of the songs, featuring professionals.... I played the appendix and apparently Lonnie Donegan played me on the record The CH version also included Simon (now James) D'Arcy as a gene; I just saw him in a Miss Marple episode.

NYMT with... Jeremy James Taylor who looked and acted like DNP on speed. I had an NYMT 'flashback' a few years ago when NYMT brought their version of Bugsy Malone to the West End. Sure I had a meeting with JJT, decided not to mention bodywork. As for Jude Law et al I didn't know all that, blimey! Must see if I can find the soundtrack.....